Power of the Gods 2
by The Chuckinator
Summary: Ten years have gone by since Ares returned to his place as Greek God of War, and everyone has gone on with their lives. But when Zeus tells Ares he wants him to be the next god king of Greece, Mars becomes enraged and breaks out of Pandora's Box. Now Ares has returned and with the help of his friends, must stop Mars for good.
1. The Roman Empire

Power of the Gods 2

By ThaRebelHunter and The Chuckinator

Chapter 1: The Roman Empire  


Ten years had passed since the battle with Mars, and Caudus, Articulos, Flamma and Argentum were living their lives happily in Ancient Rome. They had just gotten back from praying at the Temple of Mars, and were spending time with their families.

"You want to get a job as a priest?" said Caudus' mother, as he told her his plans.

Caudus smiled and nodded. "Of course," he said. "Why wouldn't I?"

"No reasons. I think it's a great idea. You love to pray. You've even gone to Greece to pray to the gods there. Why is that?" she asked.

"Ares' temple is there, mom. We helped him when he was a fallen god. Now he's...up there, with the others, doing his job once again."

She rolled her eyes at this. "Yes I understand that, but since the war between Rome and Greece, people from opposites cities don't get along. I don't want you getting hurt."

"That war was centuries ago, mom! I'll be fine, don't worry. Besides, I have my hydra form." Caudus told her.

"That's very true. Alright, now get out before your dad wants to take another ride on you. He can't seem to get enough of your hydra form."

Caudus grinned and ran off to find his friends. He ran over to Articulos' house and knocked on the door. The door opened and the avatar stood there, then smiled when he saw Caudus.

"What are you doing in your avatar form?" Caudus asked.

Articulos smiled. "I just thought I'd stay like this for a while. Come on in." Caudus nodded and Articulos turned back into an echidna. The Avatar of Mars looked at him. "So, how have you been?"

"Same old. Thinking of getting a job as a priest like...Celeritas," he said quietly. He did miss the god.

The echidna nodded. He missed Ares as well, but at least they could pray to him. "Do you think we'll ever see him again?" The avatar asked.

"No way. He's learned his lesson and Mars is in Pandora's box. We know Umbra wouldn't let him leave. He has no reason to come down. We should probably accept that and move on," Caudus said, and Articulos agreed.

"Yeah, that would work. Now that Umbra is the Guardian of Pandora's Box, he will do his job of keeping Mars in there forever. Speaking of Umbra, now that he's the guardian of the box, is he a female now?"

Caudus thought about it, and then nodded. "Ares said he fused with the spirit of Pandora, so Umbra should be a girl" he said.

The avatar nodded. "That makes sense. I miss seeing him...or her, I guess...as well."

"We might see her someday, if we risk visiting the temple. But that will probably never happen."

"Yeah, I don't really want to visit that place again."

Caudus smiled. He looked around, wondering how Articulos and Flamma were doing.

* * *

At their house, Argentum had just got home from work.

"Honey, I'm home!" he called.

Flamma smiled and walked up to Argentum, kissing him. "Glad you're home," she said. "How was work?"

"Nothing new. Saw Caudus walking around. I think he might be thinking of starting a job now that he's 18," he replied.

"I heard he'll become a priest."

Argentum nodded and smiled, kissing his wife again. "So, where's our kid?" he asked, walking to the living room. A few minutes later, a male hedgehog walked into the room. He had white fur but had some features of Flamma also. "Hey son," Argentum said, picking him up and swinging him around.

"Daddy!" Licinus yelled, clapping his hands and laughing. A smile came to Argentum's face as he adjusted his toga, then set his son down. He looked at Flamma happily, who had picked Licinus up and was patting the toddler on the back.

"Has little Licinus been giving mommy trouble all day?" Argentum asked, still smiling at the young hedgehog.

Flamma shrugged. "A little bit."

Argentum picked his son up, and continued to talk. "So, I know we said we shouldn't talk about this, but I can't help it. I have this feeling. Do you think Mars will stay in Pandora's box forever?"

"He might. Pandora is keeping him in there."

"Yeah, but if I were Mars, and I lost everything I worked hard for, I wouldn't stay in there. But there's no way he would escape...unless something makes him determined to get out".

"That's true. We should talk to Pandora or Ares about this."

"I say Pandora, or Umbra, whatever you want to call her. I don't think there's a way we could contact Ares. Let's round up the others and go to Pandora's Temple. We can leave Licinus with Caudus' mom. She's so nice and takes good care of him when we're out."

Flamma nodded and they left the house. A few minutes later, they came to Caudus' house and explained the situation to his mom. She promised to look after Licinus and they went to look for Caudus. They saw him as a priest in the Temple of Mars. Articulos was there also.

"So you got a job, huh?" Argentum said, smirking. Caudus pulled down his hood, frowning.

"I did. What seems to be the problem?"

"It's just a little funny. You really did admire Celeritas before he went back to being a god, didn't you?"

Caudus smiled and nodded. "So...I assume we're going on a quest?"

Argentum nodded. "We need to go to Pandora's Temple."

"Oh boy. I heard that place is full of traps. The only people who went there were Umbra and...well Ares. Do you just intend to go barging in as a Cerberus and bring down the temple yourself?"

"Of course. Are you ready?"

Everyone nodded. They closed their eyes and transformed into mythical creatures, then headed towards Greece.


	2. Visiting Pandora

Chapter 2: Visiting Pandora

Soon, they landed in Greece and transformed back into themselves, staring at the temple. Articulos turned into his human form and drew his sword. The Avatar of Mars led them through the temple cautiously, using its powers to detect the traps.

"So, when we find the box, do we just leave it if Mars is still there, or take it with us?" Caudus asked, looking around.

"Nesico (I don't know)," the avatar said as it looked around. "Let's talk to Pandora first."

Caudus nodded as they arrived at the center. The box lay where it was left ten years ago by Articulos, silent as ever. It glowed brightly and they heard Pandora's voice. _Welcome,_ she said. _It is nice to see you again. Tell me, why have you come?_

"Well first of all, nice to see you too," Argentum said. "Second of all, we were a little concerned about Mars."

_He is doing fine, and I am keeping a hold on him. I have placed a sacred magical barrier around this temple. As long as the box stays here and does not leave, Mars cannot be freed._

Caudus looked at the avatar. "Guess that decides that. The box stays here if it keeps Mars in place."

The avatar nodded and bowed to the spirit as she came out f the box in spirit form. "Thank you," it said. "Tell us, Umbra...or Pandora...how do you like being the guardian?"

Pandora smiled. "It has been very lonely these past 10 years, but also very interesting. It is also very amusing to hear Mars yell and try to break free when there is no hope for him."

Caudus nodded. "What should we call you now? Umbra or Pandora?"

"I prefer Pandora, but call me Umbra when this happens." she said, then there was a bright flash of light, and she stood before them.

"Very well, Pandora," Argentum said.

She smiled, and went back to her spirit form in the box. _Is that all you came to do? You wanted to check on Mars? Cause if so, I can assure you he won't get out,_ she said.

"Yeah. That's why we came."

"Alright. It was nice to see you again. Just remember; don't let this box leave the temple, or Mars could escape."

"What will happen if it does?"

Pandora sighed. "I put a safeguard on the box. If anyone attempts to remove the box from the temple they will be sucked into it. Only I can remove it."

"Interesting. So Mars is trapped for good. You thought of everything." Flamma said, making Pandora smile.

"Thanks. It was nice to see you again."

They nodded and left the temple as Pandora went back into the box. Caudus looked around and saw the Temple of Ares. He smiled and ran inside as the others followed them. They saw the statue of Ares, which was of his hedgehog form.

"Why did you make it like this again? His true form was a wolf," Articulos asked Caudus, staring at him.

"I didn't make this," Caudus told the Avatar. "It's always been like that. Ares has many forms."

Articulos looked confused. "I thought you told us you were gonna come here to make a tribute to Ares because his old one was destroyed."

The priest shook his head. "I was going to but his temple somehow was rebuilt. This is it."

"Okay. So, uh, why are we here?" Argentum asked, staring at the statue.

"I...just thought we'd pray to him."

The other Romans looked at each other and nodded. They got down on their knees and prayed to their old friend. As they did, Caudus couldn't help but wonder what Ares was doing right now...

* * *

On Mount Olympus, the God of War, Ares, had been summoned by Zeus. The wolf had turned into his human form and bowed before the God King.

"What is it you want, Zeus?" He asked.

"In these ten years, you have done so much for Earth, the humans and the gods, it has made up for all your mistakes in the past. So I have a proposition for you," Zeus said, who was sitting on his throne.

"Of course. What is it?"

"I have been watching over this Earth for a very long time. I watched you throughout time, meeting the others, and then Mars coming out and changing the course of time. You changed so much and learned what it truly means to be a god. Now I feel like I need to step down. What I'm asking is...is for you to be the new king of the Greek Gods."

At his words, Ares' jaw dropped. "What you ask is a great honor. I shall gladly accept the position."

Zeus smiled broadly. "Excellent. It will be announced to the rest tomorrow, so be prepared."

Ares smiled and bowed, then walked away. He couldn't believe what Zeus had told him; it was amazing! Suddenly, he heard the prayers of his friends and smiled, then vanished as his soul was sent into his statue in his temple.


	3. The Announcement

Chapter 3: The Announcement

Caudus and the others were finishing praying when the statue blinked. Caudus noticed it and rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things. Then it spoke.

"My friends," it said. "I have heard your prayers."

Everyone leaped back in surprise.

"A-Ares?" Caudus spluttered.

"It is I," the statue said. It looked at them. "I sent my soul into my statue so I could reply. So, what have you all been up to?"

"Other then going on with our lives, including checking on Pandora to see if Mars is still in the box, nothing really," Articulos said, making everyone roll their eyes, but making Ares smile.

"That is good," it told them. "I have been doing much during these ten years. Zeus has offered me his position as king of the Greek gods."

"No way! Seriously?" Caudus exclaimed, and everyone else said similar things.

"It is true."

"That's incredible. Imagine if Mars heard. He would not be happy," Flamma said, laughing.

"No, he would not," the statue of Ares said. "But he is locked up, so he cannot hear it."

"So, what would you do as King of the Greek gods?" Caudus asked, very interested.

"I would watch over the people of Rome and intervene with what the other gods are doing."

"What else?" The Avatar of Mars asked.

"Many other duties, but I won't bore you with the details. It's official tomorrow, so there will be a ceremony here and on Olympus. The people of Greece will learn through Zeus. He shall speak to them through his statue."

"We'll be here," Flamma said.

Ares smiled and went back to the heavens.

"So are we coming back tomorrow?" Argentum asked.

Caudus looked at him and nodded. He became a hydra and flew off as the others followed him. The next day, Caudus had come to Greece as his job as a priest. He was praying to Zeus, when the statue blinked and started to speak.

"People of Greece, I have important news," it told them. "I have chosen Ares, the God of War, to become the King of the Greek Gods." The people started murmuring and Caudus smiled to himself as Zeus continued. "He will become the King tonight, I hope you are glad with my decision."

With that, he returned to the heavens. "Imagine. Ares the god of war, leading the Greek gods. This won't work at all," Caudus heard a priest say, which made him frown.

"Why not?" He asked.

The priest looked at Caudus and saw that he was a fellow priest. He hesitated and spoke. "Ares is ruthless. He is the Greek God of War. That kind of god shouldn't be trusted with that much power. I'm sure you understand," he said, making Caudus angry.

"And what about Mars?" The Roman priest asked. "He was the one that framed Ares in order to take his place. Blame Mars, not Ares. the Greek God of War has learned his lesson."

The priest raised an eyebrow. "How exactly do you know this?"

"Ares told me."

The priest's jaw dropped. "You talked to Ares?! I thought Zeus was the only one who talked to mortals like us"

Caudus smiled. "Do you remember that incident ten years ago? My friends and I helped Ares defeat Mars."

"No way! I must know the details," the priest said, making Caudus laugh. He spent the next half hour explaining the whole story. When he was finished, the Greek priest nodded. "That makes sense. We notice a lot of Romans turned shady when Mars was brought up. I'm glad he's locked in Pandora's Box. He would be furious if he heard this news," the priest said.

The Roman priest nodded. "Our friend Pandora is keeping him there, so he won't escape at all."

The priest nodded. "Let's hope it stays that way."

Caudus nodded. He hoped so too.


	4. Planning an Escape

Chapter 4: Planning an Escape

Inside Pandora's box, Mars was sitting around, feeling bored. He had given up on escaping 5 years ago, after trying everything. Pandora sat next to him, her eyes closed.

The immortal spirit guardian was meditating. Mars growled at her, and the spirit opened her eyes. She looked at the god.

"What?" She asked.

Mars growled at Pandora. "This is boring as hell! How can you possibly sit here all day, everyday, just to keep me in here?"

Pandora looked at him. "It is my duty as the guardian of Pandora's Box."

"I understand that, but how can you stand it? Don't you get tired of it? Don't you want out?" Pandora shook her head. Mars was confused. "Why not?"

"Meditation let's the time go by. It allows me to stay in my mind, where thoughts and everything is limitless. Time goes by much quicker like that. Ten years have gone by and it's only felt like two."

The Roman God of War nodded. He looked around the box and back to Pandora. "Can you use any magic while in here?"

Pandora nodded. "Much. Now if you would please excuse me, I was in the middle of something," she said, and returned to meditating.

Mars sighed and fell silent. Suddenly he heard a voice in his head. _Man, she must really get on your nerves._

_What...who is that?_ He asked telepathically.

_Oh come on Mars, you've been cooped up in a box so long you forgot your old friend? It's Hades, idiot,_ he heard Hades say.

Mars smiled. _Hades, it is good to hear your voice,_ he said. _Tell me, what is it you want?_

_Well you remember Proserpine, the Roman god of the underworld?_

_I do._

_Well, we talked the other day. Don't make a reaction so Pandora finds out something's up. You're gonna hate this. Zeus is stepping down from his throne...and he's appointed Ares to take his place._

Mars growled. _Quid enim? Quomodo ille (What? How dare he!)_

_I knew you would be upset. So Proserpine came up with something. We think we have a way to get you out of Pandora's box. Then you can take Zeus' throne as your own._

_I'm afraid you can't get me out. Pandora has placed safeguards around the temple. If you try to leave with me, you will get sucked into the box also._

_Yes, but even Pandora's power can hold against three gods at once. If you summon up all the power you can, and we help with our own, we can get you out. Once you are out of the box, fly away from the city until you have no more energy. We'll find you, and then we can plan what to do next._

Mars chuckled. _That was a great plan. Very well. How soon can you get here?_

_We are already here,_ Mars heard Proserpine say.

The God of War nodded. Pandora snapped her eyes open. She had heard everything and had to stop them. She summoned her magic.

"You won't get away that easily Mars!" she snarled, putting up every defense she had.

Mars laughed. "Watch me," he said, as energy started to glow around him.

Pandora growled as she summoned her own energy. The box began to rattle intensely. But Pandora knew that even if Mars escaped from the box, he couldn't leave the temple. Hades laughed, and strengthened his power. The box was practically bouncing now. Then with a giant bang, the lid was blasted open and Mars was flung out.

The dragon roared loudly and flew out of the temple with Hades and Proserpine following him. Pandora came out of the box and growled angrily. She had to do something. Closing her eyes, she vanished and appeared on Mount Olympus while still connected to the box.

"My Lord," she said, bowing before Zeus. "I have important news."

"What is it? Why aren't you in the box? Mars could get out and-" but he stopped once he realized why she was in front of him. His eyes went wide.

"Mars has escaped my box," Pandora said. "I tried my best to stop him. Hades and Proserpine somehow got past my defenses and helped him escape."

"Dang it. I thought Hades was acting weird. I didn't think he would plan this. Mars is going to go after Ares!"

"He wants the throne. What should I do?"

"Contact your friends. I trust them to help Ares. You can go into a physical form. Now stop standing there; go friend your friend! Go, go, GO!"

Pandora nodded and vanished. She appeared inside the temple and went inside the box, contacting her friends telepathically. Caudus was walking back to Rome when he stopped, hearing Pandora in his head.

_Come to the temple immediately. There is something I must tell you._

The priest transformed into a hydra and flew to Greece. he reverted to normal when he reached Pandora's Temple and walked inside. Pandora came out of the box in spirit form, looking at him. "Mars has escaped," she said. "I need your help, as well as the others."

Caudus' eyes widened and nodded. "Of course, right away. What do we need to do?"

"We need Ares. Go to his temple and pray. I will contact the others."

As Caudus ran off, Pandora closed her eyes, and contacted Articulos next. The avatar's reaction was the same. Pandora contacted all of her friends, and they were soon in the temple. She looked at them.

"How could this have happened, Pandora?" The avatar asked.

"Hades and Proserpine," Pandora said simply. "Caudus is already on his way to talk to Ares. I suggest you all do the same." She looked at them. "When you have spoken with Ares, come back here. I will join you. Call me Pandora, even in my physical form."

They nodded and left. Minutes later the Romans came to the Temple of Ares and began to pray.


	5. Ares' Return

Chapter 5: Ares' Return  


Ares was up on Mount Olympus, preparing to become the King of the Greek Gods, when he heard his friends voices. He quickly finished his coronation and sent his spirit into his statue.

"What is it?" The statue asked as it looked at its friends.

"We come with news that you won't make you happy. Hades and Proserpine betrayed the gods. Mars has escaped Pandora's Box," Flamma said.

The statue's eyes widened. "What?" It asked. "How?"

They were about to answer when they heard someone clear their throat behind them. They turned around to see Pandora in her physical form. She looked very similar to Umbra, but with minor differences. Two hoop earrings were in her ears and she wore bracelets on her arms along with a necklace, Roman toga and sandals. She also held the box in her hands.

"Pandora," Ares said. "Tell me what happened."

The Guardian bowed and spoke. "Hades started to talk to Mars and told him about you. They created a plan to get him out and I heard every word. I did my best to stop them, and I used all the power I had but they were too strong. I feel so ashamed because I failed the gods. My deepest apologizes and I'm ready for any punishment you have for me," Pandora said.

"That won't be necessary," Ares said. "We had no idea this was going to happen."

"What should we do now, Pandora?" Argentum asked.

"Get ready to fight. Hades said to fly far away from Greece. Most likely he'll got back to the Seven Hills of Rome. So if you want to stop them before they do anything, we should go there," she responded.

Ares nodded. "I will join you on this quest and will come down to Earth. Wait for me here."

The statue stopped speaking. Minutes later, a bright light shone from Mount Olympus. Ares landed and looked around. The giant wolf howled and ran off to the temple, eager to see its friends again. When it arrived, everyone stared up at it. Caudus had to shout to talk to Ares, for it had gotten bigger the last time they saw it.

"Hey Ares, is it possible you can become your hedgehog form again so we can talk to you?" he yelled.

_I no longer have my hedgehog form,_ it said. _But I can speak to you telepathically like I am doing now. _Caudus and the others nodded as they watched Ares shrink, turning into a dog. _Now let's go find us an asshole,_ Ares said. The others nodded and followed Ares as it ran off.

"Any ideas on where he could be?" Caudus asked the dog. It looked at him.

_We already established he would go to the Seven Hills of Rome. Other then that, I'm not sure where else he would go._

Caudus nodded and followed it. They got to Rome a few hours later.

"We need a sign. We need to know for sure that Mars is here," Pandora said. Suddenly, they heard a roar and they saw a dragon fly over them, heading for the hills.

"That a good enough sign for you?" Articulos asked, drawing a glare from Ares.

The dog growled and nodded. They ran for the hills, as Caudus talked. "Hey Ares, do you know what Hades and Proserpine's true forms are?" he asked.

_Hades is a Cerberus and Proserpine doesn't have a animal form._

Caudus looked at Argentum. "Looks like you have some competition. But what does Proserpine look like then?"

Ares thought about it. _She looks like a female human._

"It's a way she disguises herself. That way she travels around the human world and no one notices. But don't be deceived. The goddess of the underworld is very conniving, and has demons of the underworld at her disposal, so be ready," Pandora said.

"We'll be ready," Caudus said. He looked at the avatar. "What do you think?"

"I think we need to take some gods down before this gets complicated like before. Remember the Chaos Emeralds?" he asked, and everyone shuddered. How could they forget Mars turning everyone into his servants, excluding Caudus and Ares.

"Where are the emeralds now, anyway?"

_Up with the gods where they originated. We didn't want innocent people to pick them up and have crazy things happen to them,_ Ares said, as they neared the hills. They nodded and followed the dog. It stopped and sniffed, then growled. _He's here,_ it said.

Sure enough, Mars came swooping down and landed with a crash in front of them. He growled at them. Ares barked and turned back into his true form.

"Hello brother," Mars said. Ares snarled at the dragon.

"You are no brother of mine," he growled back, slowly advancing towards Mars.

The giant wolf growled at Mars as it advanced. Mars looked at it and chuckled.

"It won't be as easy as before Ares. I have help," Mars said, as they heard another roar coming from behind Mars.

The wolf looked and saw a Cerberus. It bared its fangs and growled at the three headed dog. "Hades," Ares growled. Argentum saw this and quickly transformed into a Cerberus, roaring a challenge at his opponent. Hades roared back and the two Cerberus attacked each other.


	6. The Corruption of Caudus

Chapter 6: The Corruption of Caudus

As the two clashed, Caudus looked over to see a woman walking towards him. She was tall, with long brown hair that fell past her shoulders. She was wearing a pale blue dress that dragged on the ground a bit. But what was really abnormal about her were her eyes. They blue; a very deep blue that matched the color of the sea. She was looking at Caudus, her eyes locked on him, and he felt himself frozen in place.

"I am Proserpine," she said. "You must be the new Roman priest."

"I just, I, Uhhh, I'm, daaah, what?" Caudus stammered. Flamma smacked him over the back of the head.

Proserpine chuckled and closed her eyes. A bright aura appeared around her and Tails. The priest got a blank look in his eyes as the goddess took control of him. He groaned in pain and fell to the ground. Proserpine smirked.

"What did you do to him?" Flamma asked.

"I've taken control of your friend. He now works for me, unless you can find a way to stop it," she said, in a mocking way.

Caudus groaned and transformed into a hydra. It looked at its friends and roared.

"I got him! You take on Mars!" Flamma yelled at Ares, turning into a griffin and letting out a loud screech at the hydra.

The wolf nodded and lunged at Mars. However, the dragon breathed fire at it and singed its fur. Ares howled and attacked.

"You think you can stop me again?" Mars asked it.

"I don't think. I will!" Ares roared, pouncing on the dragon and biting its neck.

It roared loudly and breathed fire at the wolf, which dodged the blast and began to wound Mars. The dragon roared as it was wounded and growled at Ares. Meanwhile, the two Cerberus' were tumbling around, biting at every piece of flesh they could get a hold of. Hades, the black Cerberus, currently had a hold on the white Cerberus' underbelly. The white Cerberus roared as it tumbled and pounced on the other. Using its three heads, it began to wound Hades as he tried to get off of it.

"You can't kill me," he said. "I am immortal!"

The Cerberus growled as it snapped its jaws at Hades._ I don't care. I can wound you! Then I'll send you to the depths of HELL!_ it responded, and Hades retaliated against its attacks. It howled and snarled, its three heads glaring at Hades angrily. Finally, Caudus and Flamma were flying around, snapping at each others wings. The hydra roared as it breathed fire at the griffin, which screeched as it dodged the blast. It glared at the hydra and the two creatures attacked. However,the hydra was too strong for the griffin. It roared and bit Flamma. The griffin screeched in pain as it fell to the ground wounded. Caudus roared and vanished, as did Mars, Hades and Proserpine.

"Caudus...help him," the griffin said to Ares, before passing out.

Ares growled as it became a dog again. It looked at the others and barked.

_We need to find out what Mars is up to,_ it said.

"Is anyone else getting a weird sense of deja vu?" Articulos said. "Except it ended up being the only person who wasn't brainwashed last time, the one who was brainwashed?"

They all nodded. Ares growled and looked at Pandora._ Any ideas?_ It asked her.

"We need to get Caudus back. We are not going to re-visit what happened 10 years ago. That was horrible," she said, with everyone agreeing.

"How can we get him back?" The avatar asked.

Pandora thought about it and looked at Flamma and Argentum. "You two can still fuse into a Chimera, right?" They nodded. "Well, with my help, if you can take him down in that form, we can remove Proserpine's influence over him. I'm not sure if it's a spell or a spirit of the underworld has possessed him, but either way, this is the only thing I can think of. Do you agree Ares?"

The dog nodded._ I do,_ it said.

"Then let's get some rest and then engage this tomorrow. Now...how are we going to get Flamma back...Ares?" Pandora said, looking at the dog, who rolled its eyes.

_The griffin will wake up eventually. It's a strong creature._

Pandora and the others nodded, looking at the griffin. The Guardian looked at her body and saw that it was becoming transparent, then vanished back into Pandora's Box. She couldn't stay in her physical form for very long and had to be confined in the box.

"I wonder...if Pandora could bring down her defenses about people taking the box out of the temple, could we carry it around and she could stay out of it longer?" Articulos asked.

Ares shook its head. _That won't work. She is tied to the box because she is the guardian, so only she can carry it._

"Darn. Well let's go home, and for heaven's sake, let's move the griffon before they get back," Argentum said.

The dog nodded. It walked over to the griffin, sniffing it, and closed its eyes, lifting the creature with telekinesis._ It won't change back for a while,_ Ares said as it looked at its friends. _The griffin will have to heal first._

"Can we just go home? I don't want to deal with another attack in case they come back," Articulos said, turning into a dragon.

_Go on. I will join you soon. The griffin will be in a cave not far from here._

The others nodded and left. Ares looked around, then closed its eyes. There was a bright flash of light, and Athena, the goddess of wisdom, stood before it.


	7. Flamma's Coma

Chapter 7: Flamma's Coma

_Hello, my love,_ Ares said.

Athena smiled. The two gods turned into their human forms and kissed. "I hope you can defeat Mars soon," Athena said. Ares frowned and shook his head.

"I don't think it will be that easy," Ares said, kissing his wife again. "Why don't you help us?"

"I can do my best. I've never been one to fight, but I trust you. But I hope my father doesn't object. He only allowed us to be together because of your role in stopping Mars," she said. Ares nodded and kissed her again. They put the griffin in the cave and looked at each other.

"Shall we stay here with it or go back to the others?"

"I'm not taking any chances. We already lost Caudus and I don't want to lose Flamma too. So I say we stay here," Ares said. He kissed her again. They put the griffin in the cave and looked at each other.

Athena nodded. The two looked at the griffin. "Is it going to be okay?"

"Physically, yes. Emotionally...I don't know. She was forced to fight her friend before under someone's control. That's one thing. But to have to fight a friend while they're under control, and to see the hate in their eyes...Flamma loves Argentum, but she really cares about Caudus. I think she'll be hurting quite a bit when she wakes up."

The goddess sighed. "What can we do?"

"Hope she heals over time. Her husband can help her with that. In the meantime, I don't think we should let her fight Caudus. It will hurt her even more."

"It won't wake up for a while. The griffin is in a coma."

"Oh no! What can we do?" Ares asked, looking at the griffin, worried.

Athena shook her head. "I don't know. Any suggestions?"

Ares thought about it, then he realized the answer. "Asclepius. Remember, the Greek God of medicine and healing? He would know what to do."

The goddess nodded. "You stay here. I'll find him."

"Alright. Be quick; I'm afraid Mars and the others will come back to try and finish us off." Athena nodded and left. Ares sighed as he looked at the griffin. "Oh Flamma, why can't our lives just be normal?" he said.

The griffin said nothing. Ares sighed and became a dog, then curled up next to it. Meanwhile, Articulos and Argentum had gone back to there houses. Argentum was currently with his son, who was 'wondering where mommy was.'

Argentum sighed. "She'll be back soon," he said. "Mommy is just not feeling well now."

"I miss her. I hope she gets better soon," Licinus said, pouting.

The Roman nodded and hugged his son. "I'll be here for you but have to leave if something comes up."

At that moment, he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to see a woman standing in front of him, someone who he had seen in the Greek Temple for the gods.

"Hi," Argentum said. "Who are you?"

"My name is Athena. I know Ares. In fact, I'm his wife," she said.

Argentum was shocked. "Please, come in. What is it you want?"

"Your wife is in a coma. I need a ride to Greek, to talk to the god of health and medicine, Asclepius. He will know what to do."

The hedgehog nodded. He took his son and went to Caudus' house. Once he had dropped off his son, he transformed into a Cerberus. Athena got on its back and it ran off to Greece. When they arrived, they saw Articulos in his avatar form walking around the temple.

_What are you doing here?_ Argentum asked it.

The avatar looked at him. "Being Mars' avatar leaves some negative energy in you. Sometimes I feel it rise up and I want to complete what Mars started. Like he still has a hold over me. So to push it back down, I come back here every once in a while. The influence of all the gods, especially Ares and Zeus', helps stop the negative energy form rising. It's become more powerful since Mars has come back."

_What do you do as Mars' avatar, anyway? You must have some duties._

The avatar nodded and it spoke. "I have to represent Mars for the Roman Gods. They can't exactly have the real Mars to do that since he, well you know, so they asked me to represent him."

The Cerberus nodded. _That is cool. Anything else?_

"Nothing really? Also..." it said, looking at Athena. "Who's the woman?"

The Cerberus turned back to normal. "This is Athena," Argentum said. "She's Ares' wife."

"Ares has a wife? That's a little hard to believe," the avatar said. Argentum went up to it, and punched it in the stomach.

"Stop being a jerk," he said.

The avatar groaned. It looked at Argentum and then at Athena. "So...you and Ares have any kids?"

Argentum slapped it. Athena looked shocked but then spoke. "Actually...yes, we do. His name is Deimos; he's the god of fear."

Argentum whipped around. "And Ares was planning to tell us this WHEN?!" he asked, his eyes wide. Articulos' mouth was wide open, and he was gaping at Athena, who was turning red.

"Well...I..." The goddess was starting to get embarrassed, and turned her back to them. Argentum and the avatar saw this and quickly apologized.

"We didn't mean to embarrass you, it's just that...wow. We didn't expect this," Argentum said.

"It's fine," Athena told them.

"So, what are you two doing here?" the avatar asked.

"We need to talk to Asclepius. He'll know what to do for Flamma."

The Avatar of Mars led them further into the Temple. It saw the statue of Asclepius and bowed. Then it began to pray. Asclepius was checking on someone who was praying to him to save her husband, who was deadly ill, when he heard a familiar voice.

"I must speak with you," the Avatar said. A bright aura appeared around it as it continued to pray.

"Mars. Or should I say avatar? What is it? Does this have to do with the actual god? I heard what happened," Asclepius said.

"Indeed. Argentum's wife is in a coma because of him. Is there anything we can do?"

"Comas are hard to cure. Most of the time you have to wait it out and hope that they wake. But I may have something. Give me a few minutes." The Avatar waited. A few minutes later it heard the god's voice again. "I'm afraid I don't have anything to cure a coma. You're going to have to wait."

"DAMMIT!" he heard Argentum yell.

Asclepius smirked at that. "I am sorry I can't help. She'll wake eventually. But if she does she may have some side effects like memory loss or brain damage. We'll have to see."

"She was only bit. How could a simple bite do so much?" the avatar asked.

"She was bitten by a hydra, right? They are extremely poisonous."

Argentum's eyes widened. "Don't you have anything that could speed up the process of waking her?" he asked, desperately.

Asclepius shook his head. "I'm afraid not. What hydra was she bitten by?"

"That would have been out friend Caudus," the avatar said.

The god nodded. "I'm afraid I don't know what to tell you. As I said before, a hydra's venom is very poisonous, even deadly. The wounds it made won't heal at all, and there isn't a cure for hydra venom."

"She won't die will she?"

"It is possible but I am not sure."

"No I will not let that happen. Argentum will not be the same. We will find a way to save her. You are the god of medicine and health, so you must know something that you are not telling us. So spill it genius," Athena was looking at the avatar in shock. How could he talk to a god like that without fear of any punishment?

Asclepius glared at him. "If you were not the Avatar of Mars, then I would punish you greatly for that statement, immortal. I have told you everything I know."

"Articulos, let it go," Argentum told it.

The Avatar's aura vanished and it stood up as the god disappeared. "There is no way that there is no cure to this; that Flamma will simply die. There is something off about it and I can feel it. I'm not gonna stand by and see one of my friends die again," it said.

"It's not that simple, avatar," the goddess told it. "We have tried to cure people who have bitten by hydras before but haven't been successful. I'm sorry to say this, but it is highly possible that Flamma could die."

The avatar looked at her. "You don't me. I don't give up that easily. And I'm pretty sure Ares wouldn't either. No, there is a way and I'm going to find it. Trust me," it said.

Athena nodded and thought about it. "We'll ask Ares about this. He might know something."

"Then let's get to it. We need to get back to him!" the avatar said. Athena nodded, and they went to Argentum, who had been pacing back and forth.

"Flamma will be fine," she said. "Come on."

Argentum nodded and turned back into a Cerberus. The avatar and Athena got on its back and headed towards where Ares was.


	8. The Golden Fleece

Chapter 8: The Golden Fleece

Ares was sleeping when he heard a noise coming from outside the cave. He sprang to his feet, turning into a wolf and crouching down, ready to fight. It growled angrily but then relaxed as it saw the white Cerberus. The creature walked inside, followed by Athena and the avatar.

"What are you three doing here?" The wolf asked as it looked at them.

The Avatar of Mars looked at the wolf. It walked up to the god and spoke. "Asclepius had nothing, but there is a way to help her. And we thought you would have come up with something. You have anything?" the avatar asked.

Ares nodded. "The Golden Fleece. It will not bring Flamma out of her coma or heal her wounds but it can stop her from dying."

"The Golden Fleece?" Argentum asked, who had come out of his Cerberus form.

"It's the wool of a golden-hair winged ram, located in Colchis. It's in a grove there that is sacred to me," Ares said as it paced the cave.

Articulos nodded and it turned to Argentum. "If we find that, then at least she'll be alive," it said. Argentum nodded. That would be great. He looked at the avatar, who closed its eyes and concentrated, trying to find out where Colchis was. it opened its eyes and looked at the others. "Colchis is located on the eastern coast of the Black Sea," it said. "I can teleport us there."

They all nodded, and the avatar closed its eyes. With a bright flash of light, everyone, including the griffin, disappeared. A few minutes later, they appeared in Colchis.

"So, where's the Fleece?" Argentum asked the avatar. It looked at him.

"Up ahead. There will be monsters guarding it so be careful."

Argentum nodded and became a Cerberus. It growled and walked forwards as Ares, in his true form, followed it. The avatar did also as Athena stayed behind with the griffin.

_So, Ares...you never told me that you were married and had a child,_ the Cerberus said as it looked at the wolf.

The wolf growled a little and it nodded. "I didn't want to tell you, because I was afraid news of our son would soon leak out. We needed to announce it when we thought the time was right" it said. The Cerberus nodded. It continued to walk as the wolf followed it. The two creatures eventually came to a cave, and walked inside. "Careful," Ares said. It sniffed the air and looked around. "There are many creatures here guarding the Fleece."

The Cerberus nodded, and took a step forward. At once, two wolves jumped out of the dark, snarling. Ares growled. It lunged at them and howled, clawing at the two animals. The wolf fell under his attacks. The two advanced through the cave, taking out the monsters that faced them. Mars' avatar prevented any ambushes that came from behind them.

"Let's go," the avatar said. It looked at the Cerberus and wolf, then drew its sword and advanced through the caves. They finally reached a dead end. They looked around, but there was nothing there. "I sense it...but I don't see it!" the avatar said, frustrated.

Ares growled. It looked at the avatar, who sighed and closed its eyes. A bright aura appeared around the avatar as it concentrated. Suddenly, a bright light appeared on the wall.

_What the hell?_ he heard the Cerberus yell.

The wolf walked up to the door and sniffed. "There's a secret room in here," it said, and walked through the door. The Cerberus followed him, as did the avatar. They all gasped in shock as they were transported to a garden. A statue of Ares, in his human form, stood in the center. Ares closed its eyes and walked up to it. The statue shown brightly, and split. As it opened, showing that the inside was hollow, something fell out of it, landing on the wolf's snout. The fleece faded into its body. Ares grew to its full size and looked at the others, its voice booming. "We have the Fleece," it said. "Come; let's get back to the griffin and Athena."

They ran back as fast as they could. "Please don't be dead yet, please don't be dead," Argentum was saying to himself. Once they got there, the griffin was breathing even more slowly. Ares closed its eyes as it glowed brightly. A light shone from the wolf and hit the griffin. Its wounds healed instantly, but it was still in a coma; the Fleece couldn't bring it out of that. Argentum sighed; at least Flamma wouldn't die.

"What now?" Argentum asked.

"The griffin will be fine," Ares said as it looked at the Cerberus. "Flamma will come out of a coma within a month."

"Well thank the gods it's a month. So, next up. Maybe we should try to save Caudus now," Articulos suggested.

Ares looked at the Avatar. "That's going to be tough," the wolf told it. "We don't even know where they are or what they're doing."

"Well let's just hope it's nothing bad," Athena said.


	9. Mars' Plan

Chapter 9: Mars' Plan  


Meanwhile, Hades, Mars, Caudus and Proserpine were in the underworld, discussing what they should do about Ares and the others.

"I know you have ideas Hades, but we must listen to our guest before we attack," Mars growled, turning to Caudus. "What can you tell us about the others?"

The hydra chuckled. _They are very determined,_ it told them. _Especially Ares. He will not give up easily, and neither will your Avatar. I do know, though, that they have weaknesses as well. Flamma and Argentum are married and have a son. Flamma is already wounded and no doubt Argentum is affected by that. If we kidnap his son that will break him even more._

"Interesting," Mars said, smiling evilly. "Most interesting."

The hydra growled and it looked at him. _What do you think we should do?_

"We need to get that child. Plus, I do know another interesting piece of information. My avatar is still slightly connected to me. If he stays around me for too long, he will come back to our side. So we must capture him as well," Mars said.

"That would work," Hades said. "A most excellent plan."

"I very much approach of this plan," Proserpine said, smiling darkly.

"Then it's settled," Mars said. "We shall strike tomorrow."

* * *

Everyone was traveling back to Greece, when suddenly the avatar grabbed its head in pain and heard Mars in its head.

_Then it's settled. We shall strike tomorrow, it_ heard the fallen god say.

The others looked at it. "What is it?" Pandora asked, who had just come out of the box in physical form.

"I...I hear Mars," the avatar said, still holding its head. "He said something about striking tomorrow."

The others looked at it. "Striking? As in, they're going to attack?"

The avatar hesitated. It looked at them as it nodded.

"They wouldn't just attack. They must have a plan. Think! What would Caudus have told them?" Ares said.

The avatar thought about what it heard Mars say, and looked at the wolf. "He would have mentioned us."

"Anything specific?" Ares asked, but then he looked over at Argentum, who had gone pale.

"I have to get to Flamma," he said, and turned into a Cerberus. It roared loudly and ran off.

"What was that about?" Pandora asked, but suddenly Ares understood.

"He thinks that Hades and the others will go after his wife," it told the spirit.

Pandora nodded, and vanished back into her box. Argentum ran as fast as he could, in a panic. _They better not do anything to her,_ he growled. The Cerberus roared loudly. It ran towards the cave where its wife was and slowed to a stop. Athena looked at it.

"She's fine, in case you are wondering," she said. She saw the look on the Cerberus' face. "Is something wrong?"

_Hades, Mars, Caudus and Proserpine are planning to strike tomorrow,_ it told her. _I don't want them to come after my wife._

Athena patted its paw. "I'll make sure nothing happens to her. I give you my word as a god," she said.

The Cerberus nodded. It yawned, and lay down next to its wife, hoping to protect her. Meanwhile, the avatar was still listening to see if he would hear more of what Mars was saying. It closed its eyes, using its psychic link to the god and entered his mind, seeing through his eyes. Mars was flying across the sky, with Hades running below him. Proserpine and Caudus were nowhere to be seen. As they neared Rome, Hades called up to Mars.

"So we grab the kid and run, correct?" he growled.

Mars nodded. "We do that, and then capture my avatar. It will be loyal to us if it's near me."

"Very well. Then let's do it," Hades said.

Mars' avatar broke the link at that moment. "Argentum...it's not his wife they are after," it gasped, and closed its eyes as it transformed into a dragon. Then it roared and flew off to find Argentum.

Ares looked confused, then looked around. He was alone. Which could mean...suddenly, he heard a roar, and saw Caudus flying towards him, with Proserpine on his back. The god's eyes widened. It turned into its true wolf form and roared at them.

"What do you want?" It asked them.

"Your head!" Caudus yelled, swooping down towards the wolf.

The wolf growled. It roared loudly and lunged at the hydra, clawing at the beast with its claws. Caudus roared as well, biting down on the wolf's fur. However, Ares dodged the blows. It howled and charged towards Caudus, extending its claws.

"You will not defeat me!" It roared, pushing the hydra back.

The hydra growled. It opened its mouth and blew fire at the wolf. The wolf dodged it and jumped up, swiping at its opponent's wing. It growled angrily and tried to attack. The hydra hovered above it and flew off to Argentum's house.

"No, I won't let her take him!" Ares yelled, sprinting after him.

It howled and transformed into an eagle. The hydra saw it and growled, then landed on the roof of Argentum's house and tore off the roof. It saw Licinus is and grabbed him, then flew off. The eagle screeched and flew after Caudus. Suddenly, Articulos came soaring across the sky, heading straight for the Hydra. The dragon roared loudly. It breathed fire at the hydra, who returned the blast using its nine heads.

"Do not allow them to get the child," Proserpine ordered.

The hydra nodded. It roared again at the avatar and flew off with Licinus as Mars appeared to battle the avatar and Ares.

"You are coming with me!" Mars growled, looking at Articulos.

The avatar groaned. It turned back to normal and held its head, screaming in pain. Mars caught his avatar as it fell and flew off.


	10. Captured

Chapter 10: Captured

Ares growled. Things had suddenly gone downhill. It had to find the others. The eagle screeched. It flew off to find Argentum. Once it found the Cerberus, it turned back into a wolf.

"They have your kid. They weren't after your wife. And they took Articulos too. If he stays near Mars too long, he'll turn back to his side. We need to find them!" he said, looking down at Argentum and Athena.

The Cerberus began to growl, which turned into a loud roar. _How dare they take my child!_ It shouted. It stood on all fours and snarled angrily. _Let's go._

Ares ran after the Cerberus, with Athena on his back. "We don't even know where they went. How do you expect to find them?" Athena yelled at Argentum.

The Cerberus growled._ I don't know,_ it said. _Ares, tell me what happened._

"Caudus grabbed your kid before I could get to him. I tried to stop him but Mars showed up, giving Caudus time to get away. Then something happened to Argentum. He was turned back into his avatar and Mars flew off with him," Ares explained.

_Argentum's always been Mars' avatar, _it told Ares. _Mars must have corrupted it again._

"It didn't seem like it. Since they have a connection, I believe Mars must have used that to attack Articulos mentally. He couldn't handle it, and therefore, fainted."

_What can we do?_

"We need something powerful to snap Caudus out of the spell Proserpine put on him, and to stop Mars. Any ideas?" Athena asked.

Ares thought about it. "I'm not sure," it said. The wolf's paws padded the ground as it walked. "Articulos still has the Sword of Mars. I can become the Bow, so that might help."

"Would that remove the corruption from Caudus?"

Ares nodded.

_Then it's worth a shot,_ Argentum said.

The wolf smiled as Pandora came out of her box. "Where do we start looking?" She asked.

"If I were Mars, where would I hide a hydra, a Cerberus, a female god, my avatar and myself. Where in Rome would I want to hide?" Ares said, in a sarcastic-thoughtful tone.

Pandora grinned. "The underworld."

Ares nodded.

"He has a god of the underworld with him. Why not? And there's a way for us to get there," Athena said, smirking.

"There is," Ares said. It looked at the others. "Lake Avernus is one but there are others."

"Also, since Argentum is a Cerberus, which is a creature of the underworld, he can sense portals to the underworld," Pandora said.

The Cerberus nodded. _I can do that,_ it said. _What other entrances are there?_

"There are many others, but they are too dangerous to enter. We have to go with what we can safely go through," Ares said.

"We could go though Lake Avernus."

Ares nodded. It transformed into its dog form and ran off as the others followed it.

Deep in the underworld, Caudus was laughing his heads off. _Argentum must furious. Oh I wish I could see the look on his face,_ he howled.

The hydra laughed evilly and saw Hades walk in. He saw Caudus and chuckled, casting a spell on him. "You shall be the Guardian of the Underworld from now on," he said. Caudus nodded. It roared loudly and flew off. Hades smiled and looked at Mars. "They can't get in without them having to hurt their friend. The kid will be ours to raise as a fine warrior when the world is yours, and the avatar will give up and turn eventually," the god said, looking past Mars.

The avatar was tied up on a huge boulder. His face showed the pain he was in of resisting Mars' influence. It was in its human form and glared at Mars.

"You won't get away with this! " It yelled.

"I already have" Mars said, getting really close to the avatar. He sent his conciseness into the Avatar. It screamed in pain as Mars became a split personality. The god chuckled evilly and turned to Hades. He looked at Licnus and grinned.

"When the world is mine, you shall become my son," he said to the kid.

Licnus looked at him, confused.

"That's not your kid. He will never be yours!" the avatar shouted.

Mars laughed. He looked at the avatar and sneered. "Are you sure about that?" He asked it.

The avatar growled. It held its head in pain as its split personality began to take control.


	11. Battle in the Underworld

Chapter 11: Battle in the Underworld

Meanwhile, Caudus was standing guard to the entrance of the underworld when he felt a disturbance in the portal. The Guardian of the Underworld growled as it felt something. It heard voices and suddenly it saw Ares and the others. They were on the other side of portal, seemingly talking. Suddenly, Argentum burst through the portal, grabbed Caudus by the neck with his jaws, and slammed him into the ground.

The hydra screeched; it hadn't expected this. It growled and stood its ground; it couldn't let them pass.

_Where is my kid?_ Argentum growled into the hydra's ear.

_He's with Mars,_ it told him. _But you're never get inside; not which I'm here. Hades has made me the immortal Guardian of the Underworld. It is my duty to protect it from intruders such as yourselves._

"Well us intruders are coming in and crashing your party," Ares said, as he came through the portal.

The hydra roared as the other followed the Cerberus. It snarled and looked around, sniffing for its son. Caudus was trying to struggle under Argentum, but the Cerberus wouldn't yield.

"Will you just give it up?" Athena said, grinning as she walked up to the hydra.

It roared and claws at the Cerberus, who yelped as its nose drew blood. The Cerberus got off and roared as it ran off, looking for its son. The hydra looked at the others and breathed fire at them as it flew off.

"There's no time!" Pandora yelled, as Ares started forward to follow Caudus. "We need to find Articulos and Argentum's son. We'll help Caudus later!"

They looked at the spirit and nodded. She closed her eyes and turned into a Minotaur. Ares growled as it became a wolf, and ran after the Minotaur as the others followed it. Hades and Mars were grouped around Licinus when they heard Caudus roar. They turned to see him flying towards them, with Argentum hot on his heels. Mars growled and became a dragon as Hades changed into a Cerberus. The avatar also stepped forward, its second personality in control. Ares ran at Mars, Argentum bolted at Hades and Athena charged at Mars' avatar, conjuring up a sword as she ran.

The human blocked the blow and looked at her. It laughed. "You fool," it said. "You think you can defeat me, the god of war?"

Athena looked at the avatar. Its eyes were yellow slits, and she looked at Mars.

"A split personality," she whispered to herself. She turned back to the avatar. "Articulos, I know you're in there. Snap out of it!" she yelled, blocking an attack from the avatar.

The avatar laughed. "I am not Articulos; I am Mars, the God of War! I sent my consciousness into my avatar."

"Fine. If that's how it is, I drive it out of you!" Athena roar, starting to attack again.

Mars' personality chuckled. "You can't. I'm in his mind forever."

The avatar drew its sword and attacked. Ares and Mars were rolling about, clawing and biting at every part they could reach.

"What did you do to Articulos?" Ares growled, smashing into Mars again.

"I transferred my consciousness into the avatar. It now has a split persona...me."

Ares barked out a laugh. "That won't hold Articulos for long. He's strong! He will fight it off!"

The dragon growled at the wolf. "You seem to forget; he is my avatar. We are connected."

"You seem to forget, I know my friend," Ares shot back.

Mars growled. "He's not your friend...not anymore."

"We'll see about that," Ares growled, launching himself at Mars again.

Meanwhile, the two Cerberus' were clashing as well, with Hades blocking Argentum from reaching his kid.

_Give me my son!_ Argentum roared, its three heads snapping at the enemy Cerberus.

_He is no longer yours!_ Hades roared back, retaliating with his own three heads.

The two Cerberus clawed and bit at each other. Licinus was watching the battle in fear. Their were two giant dogs fighting in front of him, and it was freaking him out. He began to cry, and the two Cerberus looked at him. Argentum growled as it saw its son.

_Licinus, it'll be fine,_ Argentum said telepathically to his son, trying to calm him down. At that moment, Hades smashed his right head into Argentum's side.

The Cerberus roared in pain. It looked at Hades, its eyes red with hate. It let out a feral growl and lunged at the other. Caudus was flying around, ready to attack. Athena saw this and yelled at Ares,

"Ares. Turn into the bow. NOW!" As she yelled this, she ran as fast as she could towards Ares, with the avatar hot on her heels. The wolf nodded. It closed its eyes and transformed. Athena picked the bow up and aimed it at Caudus, who was fighting Pandora in her Minotaur form. "One chance," Athena said, and fired.

The arrow flew through the air. One of Caudus' heads saw it, catching the arrow in its jaws. It growled and snapped the arrow slightly, but not enough to hurt it, then fired it back on the ground.

"I need a better shot," Athena growled, as Caudus continued to fight Pandora.

She took the arrow and looked at it. It was slightly bent, and this was the only one she had. "Quick, fix it fast," she said to the bow, putting it back on the string. It glowed as the bow began to repair it.

"Stop her!" Mars yelled at the avatar.

It nodded and transformed into a dragon, lunging at her. Athena gasped in shock as it knocked the bow out of her hands. It skidded towards Hades, who picked the bow up and examined it.

"Interesting " he said, before Argentum slammed into him, causing the bow to fly straight towards Pandora.

She caught it and smirked. It was beginning to glow brightly as she fired the arrow from it. Caudus got out of the way, but something happened. The arrow slowed, turned around, and dug itself into Caudus' back. The hydra roared. It growled as the arrow vanished into its body and the hydra fell to the ground.


	12. The Guardian of the Underworld

Chapter 12: The Guardian of the Underworld

A few minutes later, the hydra woke up. It looked around, confused.

_What happened?_ Caudus asked. It saw its friends and gasped.

"Caudus, look out!" Pandora yelled, as Mars flew at him.

The god growled and landed in front of it. "You may have been freed from the corruption but you are still the Guardian of the Underworld," he said.

Caudus nodded in understanding. It stood and looked at its friends. _I'm sorry, but I can't leave here,_ it told them.

Ares and the others looked at each other, then back to Caudus. They understood. "Well at least, not for long," Pandora said, smirking. She would know.

"This is different," Mars said. "Underworld Guardians can't leave. They are bound to the underworld, to death, forever. Just like spirits of the dead can't."

Pandora sighed and nodded. Suddenly, Ares transformed back into a wolf and pounced on Mars again. Hades ran for Licinus, only to be stopped by Caudus.

_Don't touch him._

Hades smirked. "You can't tell me what to do. Besides, since you are part of the Underworld now, I own you. You must do what I say. I'm your Master."

_Not so much anymore,_ Caudus growled. Hades was confused, until Ares spoke.

"He will still obey your orders but has his own free will now," the wolf told Hades.

"But how, I-" Hades started to say, but stopped himself. "You!" he roared, glaring at Ares. "You did this!"

Ares chuckled and nodded. "I did," it told him. "I transformed into Apollo's Bow and freed him from the corruption."

"No! I can't allow this!" Hades said, turning back to Caudus, readying his attack, but Pandora interrupted him with a punch to the face.

"It doesn't matter. Ares magic blocks any attempts to corrupt him from now. Guess you've got a servant who can do your orders his way now," she said.

The god looked at the spirit as she vanished into the box. Hades sighed and looked at Caudus. "I'll be watching you down here," he warned.

Caudus nodded. Ares was still brawling Mars, and Athena was still fighting his avatar.

The avatar sneered. "You can't defeat me," it said. "Not while I have control."

Ares was currently biting in Mars side as he said, "Then I gueff we haf ta chafge tha" he said as best he could.

The dragon growled. "You can't get my consciousness out of Articulos. He'll have a split personality forever, but I'll take control from time to time."

Ares started to feel nervous. He didn't want to lose Articulos again.

"Keep fighting Athena. He'll snap out of it eventually," Ares roared.

The goddess nodded. She looked at Articulos and drew her sword. Argentum and Hades were fighting for Licinus once again. Caudus couldn't fight, as he was still recovery from the arrow.

_That's not your son!_ The Cerberus roared at Hades.

"He will become Mars' best warrior and servant. You cannot take him," Hades growled, not noticing Pandora was slowly creeping up behind Licinus. The spirit grabbed Licnus and vanished into the box with him. Argentum smirked.

_We already have._

Hades whirled around to see Licinus gone. He roared in frustration. "They've got the son! We have to retreat!" Hades yelled at Mars.

Mars growled, but agreed. The avatar groaned in pain as its split persona vanished into its mind. Before it could do anything, Mars grabbed his avatar in his claws and flew off. Ares growled. It looked around for Caudus but the hydra was gone.

"Where's Caudus?" it yelled.

"He's doing his new duty," Pandora said. "Down here."

Caudus was standing near the portals, watching them. He turned to face them. _You must leave,_ he said. _The living cannot be down here._

"Could you help us fight in the future?" Athena asked, and Caudus nodded.

_Not for long, though. Only about fifteen minutes to a half hour._

"That could be helpful. I must ask you; you can see many areas of the world with the portals there correct?" Ares asked.

The hydra nodded. _I can. Why?_

"I'm offering you a position here. Not just to be the Underworld's Guardian, but the god's messenger. If you see anything that you think the gods should know about, you could report that and we will check in on that. Also, you could report to us what Mars is doing anywhere. Will you take this offer? I know you wanted a job where you could help the gods," Ares said, smiling.

Caudus shook his nine heads. _I can't._

"Why not?"

_I can't leave here remember? My job as the Guardian is more important. Besides, I still have to obey Hades, even if I have my free will._ he responded, looking gloomy.

Ares understood. "Very well," it said. "You're going to be the Guardian forever, anyway."

Caudus nodded.

_Can you at least spy on Mars for us?_ Argentum asked, hopefully.

The hydra thought about it. _I don't know. I might be able to send you visions, but only if they are here._

"Or if they were to run by one of the portals?" Athena asked. Caudus thought about it and nodded.

_Yes,_ it said.

"Perfect. We need to head off. Flamma is still at the cave by herself and we need to check on her. We promise we will release you from Hades' hold, Caudus," Ares said.

The hydra smiled. _You don't need to. I have free will now._

They nodded, and left.


	13. Argentum and Flamma

Chapter 13: Argentum and Flamma  


Argentum ran for Flamma as fast as he could. He hoped that nothing bad had happened to her while they were gone, and he wanted to see if she was awake. The Cerberus growled angrily as it thought about everything that had happened. The others were trailing behind him.

"Is he going to be okay?" Athena asked Ares nervously, seeing the angry look on the Cerberus' face.

Ares looked at it. "I don't know. It might not be after all it's been through."

"We got his son back, his wife will be fine. I don't see what could change him" Athena said, and Ares shook his head.

"It's what Argentum went through," the wolf told her.

"What do you mean?"

"His son was kidnapped and his wife poisoned. One of his best friends is now stuck in the Underworld forever. His son had to see his dad as a giant, three-headed dog fight another three-headed dog right in front of him, which would traumatize the kid. And his wife may never be the same either. Bundle all of that together, and tell me how you wouldn't change after that" Ares said.

Athena nodded. "I see. That's quite a shock."

"Yeah, so let's leave him alone for a bit. Figure out what to do next by ourselves."

"Et faciam illud, (I will do that)," Athena said.

The wolf smiled and walked up to its wife. "Tu es Deus sapientiam (You are the God of Wisdom), you should know this," Ares teased.

"Scilicet, mea voluptas (Of course, my love)," Athena said. She walked up to the large wolf and looked up at it. "Do you think the gods will ever have peace?" she asked, climbing onto the wolf's back.

The wolf looked at her. "I don't know," it said.

They arrived at the cave to see Argentum nudging Flamma. _Hey Flamma? You okay, dear?_ he said, still nudging her. The griffin was still in a coma. The Cerberus whined and lay down next to it. _Please get better soon,_ it said sadly, and quickly fell asleep.

Ares sighed and walked out of the cave. Athena followed the wolf and looked at it.

"What now? Mars still has his avatar and we don't know there next move. We didn't even see Proserpine there, so who knows where she was," she said.

The wolf looked down at her and transformed into a dog. "I have no idea," it told its wife.

"So we just sit around and wait for them to do something?" Athena asked, looking at the dog in confusion. It shook its head. "I must go to Mount Olympus and talk to Zeus about this."

It grew into a wolf and vanished, arriving at Mount Olympus to see Zeus standing there. It seemed like he had been waiting for the wolf.

"I have come to ask you for advice," it told the former god king.

Zeus nodded; he knew why Ares was here. "Mars is giving you a ton of trouble, and you have no idea what to do now. That true?" Zeus asked.

"It is," the king said.

"Very well. I can give advice, but not much."

Ares nodded. "What advice do you have?" It asked.

"Mars and the others have weaknesses, everyone does. You won't notice them unless you look. And I'm not talking physical weakness. Stuff that will get in their head, stuff that hurts them more then a blow to the back. If you can find and expose it, they will be at your mercy."

"What kind of weaknesses?"

Zeus smiled. "That you'll have to find out yourself."

The wolf nodded and vanished. It appeared before Athena, who looked at it.

"What did Zeus say?" She asked.

"Well...he said to look for their weaknesses," he said.

"Like, where it would hurt the most to strike?" she asked.

"I think so, yes. He mentioned emotional wounds."

"Emotional wounds?" Athena said, completely confused.

The god king nodded. "I'm not sure what Zeus meant by that. We'll have to find out."

She looked over to see Pandora sitting next to Flamma and Argentum, with Licinus at her feet.

"Are you okay?" Athena asked the spirit.

Pandora looked at her. "Never better." she replied with a smile.

The spirit smiled and vanished back into the box. Athena sighed and looked at the Cerberus. It was sleeping next to its wife.

"Wish she would wake up," Ares said, looking at Flamma.

"I hope so too," Athena said. "But it won't be for a while."

At her words, Argentum shifted. He slowly got up, stretched and saw his son. Licnus saw him and began to cry, cowering away from the Cerberus. Argentum quickly turned back into his regular form. Licinus saw his dad and calmed down. He began clapping and crying.

"You must have been so scared," Argentum said, picking up his son and hugging him tightly.

Licnus continued to cry and nodded. He looked around, wondering where he was. As Ares and Athena surveyed this, Flamma moved slightly. Argentum saw this and gasped.

"She moved a little!" He exclaimed. Everyone gathered around her as she moved a little again. "Is she waking up?" Argentum asked, hopefully.

"We shall see," Ares said, but he too was hopeful.

A few minutes later, the griffin stopped moving. Argentum frowned as he looked at it. "What happened?" he asked, looking at Ares.

The wolf growled. "She's still in a coma," it told him.

"Then what was all that moving about?"

"People often move sometimes in a coma. Their nervous system is still active."

Argentum's ears flattened. He whined and Licinus began to cry again. He turned into a Cerberus again and lay down next to his wife, cuddling next to her. Licnus looked at him and cried some more as he crawled towards the griffin. The Cerberus licked him, and the kid calmed down a bit. He then curled up next to his parents and soon fell asleep.


End file.
